NV Lounge is back -- with regular hours

Review

NV Lounge reopened in late February — and it's as good as it was the last two times it opened.

Inconsistent hours doomed this spot on Pine Street. One Friday night it would be open, the next Friday not. Even though the mysterious hours added to the coolness quotient, people just gave up trying to figure out when the club was open.

Co-owners Curt Littlecott and Stephanie Rounds have brought in Jeffrey Gitto, co-owner of other downtown Orlando faves Vintage Lounge and Vixen Bar, to deal with NV's day-to-day operations, including those all-important hours.

NV is not Vintage on Pine Street. Gitto loves the look and vibe of NV's stylish loft space and has changed very little.

What he has changed are those pesky hours. He has also expanded the beer and wine menu. No Budweiser or Miller — the goal is to keep this a lounge stocked with boutique beers and wines that are hard to find.

Over the years, the most-frequently asked question from you, my wonderful readers, is: I'm older than early 20-something, where can I go downtown and feel comfortable?

It's always been a tough question to answer because there aren't a lot of places that cater to an older crowd. Many of the bars and clubs are focused on the age group that consistently delivers a crowd and that is early 20-somethings.

NV doesn't do this. It's a classy place to grab a glass of wine, listen to mainly '80s and '90s music at a decibel level that you can still hear conversation while not getting elbowed in the ribs every time you try to go to the bar.

"NV is a kind of leaf in the wind," says Gitto. "It appeals to the people who like the atmosphere and want to get away from that boom, boom, boom kind of music."

And that awesome rooftop? Gitto says it will reopen when more people discover the bar is back in business — this time with regular hours.

Glad to hear it.

The other sideof the coin

Speaking of boom, boom, boom kind of music, that's exactly what attacked me when I walked into the new Whiskey Dicks just after midnight last weekend. This place is far from a club and the speakers were obviously having an identity crisis.

Whiskey Dicks, a full-liquor bar with a name that stands out, also opened back in February and was formerly Brix. Another place with multiple openings (it was originally on Washington Street and then moved to Central Boulevard), the bar catered to mainly an older crowd. It was first a wine bar with a free fondue happy hour (loved that) and then a sports bar. Neither could sustain the downtown space.

Co-owner Jay Clark (who was also a co-owner of Brix) says he's still trying to cater to that older crowd. Most nights there is live music, very much in the vein of the popular Irish Kevin's Bar in Key West. The space certainly has the look of an island hangout, with a large center bar as the focal point, a stage for live music behind it, multiple flat-screen televisions, a parrot and a palm tree.

A friend says the nights with live music (most days of the week except Thursdays and when there are Ultimate Fighting Championship viewings) give the place a much different vibe than the audible assault that took place on our eardrums between the end of a UFC showing and that way-too-loud DJ last weekend.

Clark says the new space is a work in progress. They've been tinkering with formats to find an identity.